Cravings
by dawnnoondusk
Summary: Katara has a craving for something sweet and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Kataang. Hints of Tokka. Fluff.


Hello! How has everyone been?

I've been getting a fabulous number of reviews from my Tokka story so thank you all so much! By now you all should have figured out that it's a **Kataang** story, with some **Tokka** tossed in the background as a bonus. And again, it is another one-shot that grew into mammoth proportions. Hope you have the patience to read it all!

Oh, and this story is dedicated to **KaTaAnG fOr EvEr**. Thanks for giving me one of my first reviews!

Warning: OOC Toph and Katara.

* * *

_Urgh! Come on! _Thought the frustrated waterbender._ There has to be something! _She had rummaged through all their bags but to her dismay could not find what she wanted.

'How can there be nothing sweet around here!' she complained as she stalked angrily out of Toph's tent. In her desperation, she had even checked through the earthbender's things, rationalizing that Toph would understand. She took one last desperate poke around her own pack before throwing it down in frustration. 'I swear there was still some candy in my pack yesterday! Where did it go?!' she moaned, resting her head in her hands as her craving for something, anything, sweet drove her to the brink of violence.

Katara usually had a packet of candy with her wherever she went. It was one of those guilty pleasures things. Everyone had one and for her, it was her precious bag of candy. That morning, she had woken up with an absolute craving for something sweet but, as luck would have it, she had eaten her last piece the night before.

The water tribe maiden was a complete slave to her emotions, though anyone who so much as suggested that to her got a water whip in the face. Denial was a thing that she was **particularly** gifted at. She could never really control herself when she got too emotional, always doing as her feelings dictated and her current frustration mixed with her craving for sugar was a deadly combination. Spirits help whichever poor soul who gets between her and her candy.

Shaking off her gloom, Katara got to her feet purposefully, steely determination glinting in her eyes. In her mind, she had already analyzed her predicament. They were still a day away from the nearest village, even on the back of Appa. There was nothing sweet what so ever in any of their bags, just some meats and vegetables. Sokka was busy somewhere with Toph, doing things that Katara would rather not think about, while Aang had gone off with Appa and Momo for a bath. So the only logical thing to do would be for her to go off on her own, to look for something sweet to eat.

At first, she thought about waiting for Aang to come back and asking him to come along, but quickly wiped that thought away. She tried to reason that it because she did not want to disturb him, but the real reason was because she didn't want him to see her like that. _It would be too embarrassing! What would he think of me then!_ She thought as her cheeks colored slightly. For some reason, the thought of Aang always made her cheeks burn. Shaking her head to keep the distracting image of Aang out of her mind, she strode out of camp in search of something to satisfy her craving.

* * *

'Come on Appa! We can't be late! Katara will get worried.' said Aang as he poked his flying bison. 'I know you're still tired from all that splashing about the lake but we did promise her we wouldn't be gone for long.' Appa snorted but consented to fly a bit faster. Aang gave a little smile, patted Appa, and leaned back, letting Momo sit on his head.

Aang did not like making Katara worried. She was always so concerned about them, fussing about _where_ they were going and _what_ they were doing. It certainly bothered Sokka as he liked to go off and do certain things with Toph, although what they did was none of Aang's business. It was not as though he spied on them. _Of course_ not!

Aang personally thought it was nice to have someone care so much for him. And he especially liked it that _someone_ was Katara. At the mere thought of the temperamental waterbender, his heart started to beat quicker than before. He had asked Toph one night, while it was their turn to keep watch. What did it mean when his heart sped up whenever he thought of someone?

'And **who** might that someone be, Twinkle Toes?' she had asked, a note of mischief entering her voice. 'No one you know.' was his hasty reply, but she knew who it was; there was no lying to the earthbender. A smile stretched across her lips as she warned, 'Don't lie to me Aang. You know I don't like it when you do that.'

Aang tried to protest but she just stared at him, her sightless eyes boring holes into him and all the while, that knowing smirk stayed plastered on her face. Finally, he sighed in defeat. 'It's Katara.' he had admitted softly. The smile stretched even wider. He could practically hear it.

Toph patted him gently on the shoulder. 'The same thing happens to me too.' she said. 'Whenever I'm near Sokka, or if I do think about him, my heart will always speed up.' Aang looked confused. 'Sokka? But don't you love him?' he asked. 'Of course I do.' came the simple reply.

'But then... that means...' said Aang as he slowly connected the dots. 'But that means, I... I love Katara?!' the truth finally dawned on him that night. 'Bingo, genius', was all Toph had said before she had gone to wake Sokka up as it was his turn to stand guard.

But Aang could never tell Katara that. She would never like him back. _How could she?_ She was a beautiful and strong waterbender who could get any man she wanted, while he was just a simple boy. Sure, he was the Avatar, but that wasn't much... Thankfully, Toph had not said a word about what he had told her and Sokka was too busy with Toph to see how awkward Aang got whenever he was near Katara.

Aang sighed softly and looked at Momo, 'What can I do Momo? I love her! But I don't think I could ever tell her that. I'm so afraid she might reject me...' Momo chattered comforting, meaningless words and hugged Aang's bald head with his furry little arms. The Airbender smiled and stroked the flying lemur. Then he chuckled softly.

He was the Avatar. He was to take on Lord Ozai and all his supporters. He was to save the world. Those expectations had never really scared him much, just put a lot of pressure on him. The thought of telling Katara how he felt for her, however, was enough to make him sweat. How amusing.

As he was pondering this thought, he saw a familiar flash of blue below. _Katara?_ He thought. 'Hang on, Appa.' He said and circled back. It **was** her. But what was she doing so far out in the forest, away from camp? He wanted to land but there was no where he could do that without flattening a few trees. So he hurried Appa back towards camp. _I'll just leave Appa back at camp and come look for Katara later,_ he decided.

* * *

Katara had been walking for a good half an hour already and had seen nothing much, just tons of trees and a snake at one point. Admittedly she had squealed and ran away but there was no one there to see it, thankfully. Just as she was about to give up and go back to camp, she saw it. A tree **laden** with beautiful ruby-red fruits.

She recognized them, having seen them in the market before. _What had the vendor called them? Passionfruits?_ _Yes, that's it._ She remembered now. The vendor had said they had been named such for two reasons. One, because of their heart shape and bright red in colour. Secondly, they tasted so sweet it was like falling in love. At least, that was what the vendor had said. She regretted not buying them now.

The waterbender habitually reached for her waterskin but realised, that in her haste, she had left it back in camp. Cursing softly at her own carelessness, she hitched up her dress to make it easier to climb the tree. Not for the first time since she had left camp, Katara wished Aang was there with her. Not because she** missed** him of course! Definitely not! It was because he could have easily gotten all the fruits down. _Yea, that's right._ But nothing was going to stop Katara from getting what she wanted, not when it was so close.

_

* * *

_

_Where is she?_

Aang zoomed over the forest, going as low as he dared. He was afraid that she could have gotten into trouble and the fact that she had left her waterskin behind worried him even more. If she **did** meet any trouble, she couldn't protect herself. His eyes scanned the ocean of trees below, searching for the familiar shade of blue. _Where...?_

_There! _He saw her but for some bizarre reason she seemed to be climbing a tree. He immediately landed, folding up his staff as he touched the ground. **'Katara!'** he called. 'Aang!' she was so surprised to see him, almost losing grip of the tree. 'What are you doing here?'

'I was going to ask the same thing!' he replied. 'Oh, er, well... I, um...' she stammered, embarrassed. 'I ... I was just hungry. So I came out here to look for something to eat.' she pointed at the ruby red fruits hanging oh-so-temptingly out of reach. 'Oh.' was all Aang could manage. _Well, at least she wasn't in any danger._

It was as though he had jinxed her with that thought because the moment he completed it, Katara had shifted her weight and accidentally lost grip of the branch. She started to fall and was so taken aback that she wasn't even able to scream. Thankfully, Aang was quicker to respond. He immediately increased the air resistance around her, slowing down her fall, and dashed beneath her, catching the falling waterbender neatly in his arms.

'Oof!' moaned Katara as she fell into Aang's surprisingly strong arms. Instinctively, the Avatar held her closer, allowing her to recover from her fall. 'Whew, thank you Aang.' said Katara, raising her head to look at Aang. 'That could have- could... could...' she trailed off wordlessly as their eyes met in an electrifying moment.

At that second, molten-brown met sapphire orbs and Katara felt her heart skip a beat. She was well aware of their positions and her cheeks started to burn. She felt her heart thud loudly and there was also a strange, fluttering sensation in her stomach that she couldn't quite place...

Aang didn't even know what hit him. The instant he looked into those twin oceans, he felt as though he was drowning. His senses were heightened and he became aware of every single detail.

_He could hear his own heart thudding at an erratic pace, like it was about to fly out of his chest._

_He could feel his insides twisting and turning with confusion, apprehension and realization._

_He could smell the light ocean scent that Katara seemed to emit._

_He could feel her soft body pressed against his, feel the warmth that was the waterbender meld with his own._

And at that moment, he forgot all about the impending war. He forgot all about Ozai and Zuko and his various enemies. All that was, all that mattered, was the two of them.

'What on EARTH do you think you are **DOING**!' a voice roared, shattering the moment like a fist though glass. _Uh-oh. _Both of them turned simultaneously towards the source of the noise and there stood an enraged Sokka.

Fight the fire prodigy Azula? _Piece of cake._

Take on an army of earthbenders? _Easy as pie._

Face a Sokka full of protective-big-brother rage? **Oh, crap. **

The angry warrior stormed over to the two benders muttering unprintable curses and threats. His hands were making wringing motions as he tried to decide on the best way to murder the Avatar for touching his sister.

If it had been someone else, perhaps Aang would have reacted, but this was Sokka! How could Aang hurt him?

Thankfully, Toph was there to handle it. She sighed, tutting slightly at her lover's temper before quickly catching up with Sokka. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder and he spun around. 'What is it?! I have t-' she crashed her lips down on his, effectively sealing his lips and stopping his rant. The earthbender held him firmly to her own lips until he stopped struggling and weakened. When she finally released him, he had a dazed look on his face, his rage temporarily forgotten.

Toph shook her head a bit sadly, 'I hate doing that to him, but it was the only thing Icould do to stop him.' she paused and grinned. 'Okay. Maybe not the only way. But it was the most enjoyable way.' The frightened pair could only twitch their lips in a faint parody of a smile. 'Anyway, you two don't have to worry about anything. I'll take care of him. It might take a while, but I can handle it. Some explanations are in order though.' a knowing smile formed on her face. 'But I suppose that can wait.' she said. The Avatar and water tribe native could only nod dumbly.

Toph then leaned over to Aang and whispered softly into his ear; 'If you **ever** plan to tell her the truth, I suggest you do it now.' she turned away to lead the still dazed Sokka back to camp. 'Now?' questioned Aang, panic involuntarily entering his voice. 'The opportunity might not present itself again.' answered Toph as she led Sokka away.

The two benders watched silently as Toph and Sokka walked away until the couple melted into the trees. It was only then when Katara realised she was still in Aang's arms. 'Erm... Aang? You're still holding me... maybe you should let me go now...' she said quietly. Not that she wanted to leave. His arms were so warm, so reassuring. Katara rarely felt so safe. Only one other person possessed such a hug and he was her father. She never wanted to leave the airbender's arms but she knew it was inappropriate for her to be so close to him. _Oh boy, do I have a lot of explaining to do to Sokka later..._

But instead of releasing her, Aang tightened his grip on the waterbender, pulling her closer until their faces were just inches apart. _Come on Aang, you can do this. Toph is right. I might never get such an opportunity ever again. _Aang couldn't bear the thought of seeing her with another man, not until he knew she did not feel the same way for him. _It's now or never._ Taking a breath to calm his thoughts, Aang opened his mouth to speak.

'No, Katara. I don't ever want to let you go.' The Avatar stared into the twin wells of blue that held so many questions and continued quietly. 'I want to be the one who holds you at night. I want to be the one who makes you smile when you're sad. I want to be the one you turn to when you need help. I... I...' _Breathe, Aang, breathe._ 'I like you, Katara.'

'Oh.' was all she said, the confused look still on her face. A blush started to form on her cheeks and she turned away from his searing gaze.

Aang took another breath. It was a positively frightening experience to the 12 year old. He felt as though his knees were melting and he would have dearly wished to run away but he continued. _After this, fighting Ozai will be nothing._ 'Look, I know, I'm not much.' He tried to sound brave but his voice wobbled. 'I know I'm just a simple guy and I could never be good enough to you. But I just wanted to let you know how I felt. I hope you won't hate me for telling you this. I-' but she stopped him, placing a slender finger upon his lips.

'No, no. You misunderstood me.' she said, having recovered from his announcement. Her cheeks were positively flaming now that she understood what he meant. He **loved** her! He actually loved her! **Her**, of all the people in the world! It felt as though all her dreams were coming true! 'The truth is, Aang... I...I like you too...' she admitted shyly. 'I don't hate you at all. I was just surprised that you could ever like a girl like me.'

Now it was his turn to be confused. 'A girl like you?' he asked even as he felt his heart do somersaults. _She likes me too! Me! _'Well, I...' she muttered, fiddling with her hair in a way that Aang found very attractive. 'I'm so violent. And moody. Not to mention rude and- ' he quickly cut her off.

'You are bold, brave, beautiful. You are everything I could ever want. You are perfect.' he said, a blush staining his cheeks. Katara smiled her heart-warmingly beautiful smile 'Do you mean it?' she asked softly, her heart drumming at an insanely quick pace. Aang leaned in, 'I do.' he whispered before leaning in even further and claiming her lips.

Their kiss was shy, chaste, but when they pulled away there was a huge smile plastered on their faces and an undeniable twinkle in their eyes. Katara averted her eyes demurely. 'That was my first kiss.' she said, blushing becomingly. 'Mine too.' admitted Aang as he lowered her back to the ground. 'And I can't think of a better person to give it to.'

'Aww...' she gave him a light peck on the cheek. 'You are so sweet, Aang...' and for a minute, they just stood there, basking in the glow of their new-found love.

'Come on. Let's go back to camp before Sokka freaks out even further.' said Katara with a grin. 'Hang on a second.' replied Aang. He turned around and with a quick flick of his hand, cut two passionfruits away from their branches. He caught them as they tumbled down and handed one to Katara.

'Here.' he said. 'For the walk back.' Katara took it the scarlet fruit in one hand and slipped her free hand into his, squeezing it gently. Once again, she smiled her beautiful smile and Aang felt his heart swell in pride. There could be no one more perfect in the world for him.

And so they walked back towards camp, hand in hand, nibbling on passionfruits and content in the knowledge that no matter what the future held, they would have each other.

* * *

'Aang?'

'Yes, Katara?'

'Why are you smiling like that?'

'Oh, nothing. I was just imagining the look on Sokka's face when he sees me kissing you.'

* * *

So, what do you guys think? Not too gooey I hope! Well, you guys/gals have a good day! Drop a review if you've got the time!

Love, **dawnnoondusk**


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